Song of the Prydwen
by azelmajondrette
Summary: Thanks to manipulation on Agravaine's part, Arthur embarks on a quest that should never be attempted, a quest taken on a ship destined for a tragic fate; the Prydwen. There are choices made that not even Merlin can rectify, and it seems Camelot still has tears to shed. (On a side note, no major character death)


"My lady, Morgana." Agravaine said, his head bowing for a moment with loyal respect. "I received your message. There is something you would have me do?"

"Agravaine." Morgana said cooly. She sat loftily on her chair, her eyes lingering upon a goblet which was held limply in her hand. For a moment she did not speak, she just stared at her cup, almost as if Agravaine was not even in the room. "I assume that Arthur still wholly trusts you, correct?" She said at last.

"Yes, my lady." Agravaine answered, earning a nod of acknowledgment from Morgana.

"Good, your manipulation skills will be greatly appreciated." Morgana's gaze now slid over to meet the king's advisor, and she gave a cold smile. "I've had a dream." She said. "An… enlightening dream, my lord."

"Would you care to share the details?" He asked. At this Morgana rose from her seat. She held the goblet in her hand out towards Agravaine, calling his full attention to the object. "What is this, Agravaine?"

"A goblet, of course."

"Yes." Morgana said slowly. "Reminds me of when I had the cup of life. Camelot almost mine, the immortal army…. A pity the artifact is no longer in my possession."

"The goblet you hold now… that isn't-"

"Of course not." Morgana interrupted. "I doubt I'll ever see the thing again. Yet I wonder if you ever heard that there were two goblets made… and that the one I possessed was the weaker of the two. Did you know that?" Agravaine's eyes widened and he shook his head.

"I had not. This more powerful goblet, do you know of it's location?"

"I do."

"Then you mean to use it." At this, the sorceress let out a cruel laugh that gave Agravaine a sudden uncomfortable chill. He gave a slight shiver, yet still listened intently to his master.

"Of course not, you fool. The powers of this cup, I don't fully know them, but someone must. It is so heavily guarded that this chalice has caused much more death than it ever has life. I would not dare to attempt to possess it. In a way, I myself even fear it's powers…." Morgana broke off then, and an expression of greed flickered within her features. She shook her head, banishing the thought of ownership before it had chance to manifest into something dangerous. Agravaine took this time to raise his eyebrows, puzzled as to what his lady then intended.

"Why is it then that you bring all this up?" He asked.

"My dream." She breathed in a whisper. "Arthur was on a ship. The Prydwen it was called-"

"That was one of Uther's ships." Agravaine broke in, arresting Morgana's attention. "He had it built for his son, yet never gifted it. You attacked before he could. She's never been sailed, the Prydwen hasn't." Morgana tilted her head, her lips slightly parted.

"Interesting…."

"What else did you dream?"

"Arthur was in the ship, as I said. It was a storm. There was an island a bit ahead of them, but it seemed farther than it actually was because of the fog and rain. Somehow I knew that it was the same island where this goblet I speak of was guarded. Men had already died, were _still_ dying. Arthur wasn't enjoying it, but he was far too busy commanding the men who still lived to mourn over those whose lives were lost. He knew full well he was powerless to save them.

"Each man that fell violently overboard he let go because he had no choice- and yet one man was different. A boy he seemed in figure, with dark hair. This boy tumbled off the rail, towards the water, and without even a second thought, Arthur dove after him." Morgana gave a grin painted with morbid glee. A laugh of victory was caught in her chest as she stared triumphantly at Agravaine.

"If Arthur went on this quest, there would be no way for him to escape. He would surely be lost. It is he who should seek the chalice, Agravaine, and you must be the one to convince him!"

"How am I meant to do that, lady?"

"I don't care!" Morgana cried. "Play on his greed, even the greatest of kings cannot pass up this chance. Just get him on that ship." Morgana blinked, and in that moment her expression shifted from that of a victor to that of a morose seeress. She took a silent breath as her eyes held Agravaine's with steely determination.

"Let the Prydwen sail."

**Author's note: I don't own Merlin or BBC, so no one sue me please. I KNOW I still have two chapters left for Broken Reflections. I will get those up, but I really really wanted to write a fic about the Prydwen. The story is one that highlights one of the mistakes Arthur made as a king, so being a complete oddball I want to attempt my take on this tale. Let's see how I do. If no one knows any of the legends concerning the Prydwen, look em up! Or just read this, whatever floats your medieval boat. As always, please watch, favorite, and review! :-)**


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